What Public Officials Have Said…
Members of Congress have written to HHS and USDA to express their concern over the scientific review process, the lack of transparency and stakeholder engagement in the dietary guidelines process.
Finstad-Costa Letter
We disagree with your agencies’ interpretation that the National Nutrition Monitoring Act of 1990 allows you to extract the alcohol guidance from the purview of the DGAC and house the periodic reviews in perpetuity to a committee within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which is required under the STOP Act to exclusively focus on prevention of underage drinking.”
“We also believe there is a need to examine the decision to launch a scientific project within SAMHSA that threatens to change the single source of truth on moderate alcohol consumption by adults from the DGAs to an annual report meant to advise Congress about progress in the states to prevent underage drinking.”
McGarvey-Barr Letter
It is critical that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) provide transparent, independent, and science-based advice and recommendations to the American public…”
“Is an interagency coordinating committee [ICCPUD] tasked with stopping underage drinking an appropriate venue to conduct a comprehensive review of legal adult alcohol consumption?”
“In August 2023, you suggested to the Daily Mail that the United States could adopt a recommendation made by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) that adults consume no more than two servings of alcohol per week. As you know, the Canadian federal government ultimately did not adopt that recommendation, and the White House debunked your claim as “absolutely false” in a tweet.”
“Do you have any reason to believe Drs. Naimi and Shield will not reach the same conclusions [recommendation that adults consume no more than two servings of alcohol per week] they made in their failed attempt to rewrite the Canadian moderate drinking guidelines?”
Industry Letter, June 2024
Americans deserve guidance based on sound science, not ideology, that is developed and communicated in a clear, meaningful way, to ensure Americans understand and implement it.”
“...we want to ensure that the next iteration of the U.S. DGAs is developed in a manner that is transparent, fair, and free from bias, and solely based on the preponderance of scientific and medical knowledge, as required by the law.”
Industry Letter, September 2020
America’s alcohol industry is a critical partner to our nation’s farmers, supporting more than 38,000 agricultural jobs which pour almost $5 billion into our nation’s economy.”
“We support sound science‐based nutrition policy for Americans and believe the DGAC Scientific Report’s suggested change to the consumption guidance for men is misleading and confusing to consumers, and ultimately harmful to American agricultural producers.”
“The alcohol industry generates hundreds of billions of dollars in economic activity each year and supports American farmers and agricultural producers. Barley, corn, wheat, rice, grape, grain and hop farmers rely on America’s alcohol producers, and industries like dairy farmers depend on our nutritious spent grains for livestock feed.”
Letters From Congress
Letters From The Industry
Finstad-Costa Letter
We disagree with your agencies’ interpretation that the National Nutrition Monitoring Act of 1990 allows you to extract the alcohol guidance from the purview of the DGAC and house the periodic reviews in perpetuity to a committee within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which is required under the STOP Act to exclusively focus on prevention of underage drinking.”
“We also believe there is a need to examine the decision to launch a scientific project within SAMHSA that threatens to change the single source of truth on moderate alcohol consumption by adults from the DGAs to an annual report meant to advise Congress about progress in the states to prevent underage drinking.”
McGarvey-Barr Letter
It is critical that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) provide transparent, independent, and science-based advice and recommendations to the American public…”
“Is an interagency coordinating committee [ICCPUD] tasked with stopping underage drinking an appropriate venue to conduct a comprehensive review of legal adult alcohol consumption?”
“In August 2023, you suggested to the Daily Mail that the United States could adopt a recommendation made by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) that adults consume no more than two servings of alcohol per week. As you know, the Canadian federal government ultimately did not adopt that recommendation, and the White House debunked your claim as “absolutely false” in a tweet.”
“Do you have any reason to believe Drs. Naimi and Shield will not reach the same conclusions [recommendation that adults consume no more than two servings of alcohol per week] they made in their failed attempt to rewrite the Canadian moderate drinking guidelines?”
Thompson-Newhouse Letter
We also have reservations about how ICCPUD is conducting its review. Unlike the NASEM review and overall development of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines, members of the Scientific Review Panel (SRP) were not appropriately vetted for conflicts of interest, studies and recommendations drafted by those on the SRP will be included and interested stakeholders have had limited opportunities to comment and track all but one public meeting held in early August."
"For physicians and other medical providers to adopt guidance and convey the information to their patients, and for consumers to follow the guidance, it is critical that any review and recommendations be based on a preponderance of sound science and research that is developed in a transparent manner without any potential for conflict of interest. The secretive process at ICCPUD and the concept of original research on adult alcohol consumption by a committee tasked with preventing underage drinking, jeopardizes the credibility of ICCPUD and its ability to continue its primary role of helping the nation prevent underage drinking."
Letters From Congress
Industry Letter, June 2024
While HHS and USDA have confirmed that alcohol recommendations will be included in the 2025-2030 DGAs, it is unclear what this multi-layered process for developing those recommendations will entail.
Nothing was known about the SAMHSA work until late January 2024, when a representative of SAMHSA provided a high-level overview of the ICCPUD study during a NASEM committee meeting.
Unlike the NASEM Panel and DGAC, no information was provided regarding the selection of the Scientific Review Panel and appointment of these individuals, nor was there a public nomination or comment period.
We urge HHS and USDA to ensure an alcohol review process that includes stakeholder input and public comment opportunities and that is transparent, deliberative, science-driven, and results in guidance grounded in the preponderance of scientific and medical knowledge as required by law.
Industry Letter, September 2020
America’s alcohol industry is a critical partner to our nation’s farmers, supporting more than 38,000 agricultural jobs which pour almost $5 billion into our nation’s economy.”
“We support sound science‐based nutrition policy for Americans and believe the DGAC Scientific Report’s suggested change to the consumption guidance for men is misleading and confusing to consumers, and ultimately harmful to American agricultural producers.”
“The alcohol industry generates hundreds of billions of dollars in economic activity each year and supports American farmers and agricultural producers. Barley, corn, wheat, rice, grape, grain and hop farmers rely on America’s alcohol producers, and industries like dairy farmers depend on our nutritious spent grains for livestock feed.”
Letters From The Industry